That Survivor Thing
by APenguinLovingWriter
Summary: Everyone needs someone in the zombie apocalypse. BenXOC


That Survivor Thing  
**Chapter 1: Hunger Pains**

It had been three months…three long, painful, grueling months since we made the motor inn our new home. Was it safer than the drug store? Yes. Was it well supplied? To an extent. If it hadn't been for Mark rolling in with food when he did, things could have went much worse. Well…not like things weren't bad enough already.

It was Kenny, Lee, and Mark's turn to go hunting today. Lilly was on watch, Larry was tending to the wall—grumbling ungratefully to himself as he did—, Doug was hard at work on an 'alarm system' that he just thought of off the top of his head—he was awesome like that—, and Duck and Clementine were drawing like they always did. I was sitting in the lawn chair across from them, tired as all hell. But more importantly, I was hungry. We all were. We caught a break when Mark came along with his commissary supplies, but that was a month ago. The food supply was dwindling and everyone was starting to grow restless.

Suddenly, Lilly stood up and gave a warning whistle. Everybody crouched down with no hesitation. I heard rustling outside, coming from the forest. It was probably just Lee and the guys coming back, but with the way things were now, we could never be too sure what would come stumbling out from the trees. The rustling noise reached a fever pitch, then Lee's voice shattered the silence.

"Get the gates open! We've got wounded!"

_Wounded? Oh no…_I stood back up and rushed to the gate, ignoring Larry's gruff demands to stay put. Lee hurried in first, an unfamiliar man slung over his shoulders. My eyes went wide and I sucked in a bout of air when I realized why he was carrying him like that. His left leg was just a bloody stump. I was so transfixed on it that I almost didn't feel myself get knocked over by the other stranger rushing inside.

"O-oh god! I-I'm sorry!" The boy frantically looked at me, then back at Lee setting the one-legged man down on the bed of a truck, and then rushed over to help. I just stood up and dusted myself off. What had started off as a peaceful morning was now mass hysteria. Everyone was either asking questions, yelling, freaking out, or a combination of all three. Finally Lilly's voice rose over the confusion.

"LEE! What the hell!? You can't just bring new people here!"

"They would have died if we left them!" Lee replied, gesturing towards the man on the truck bed. "I'm the one who took his leg; that makes me responsible!"

"Well, that was a stupid thing to do," Larry remarked. Asshole.

"Come on, Lilly, these are _people_," Mark jumped in. "They're trying to survive just like us!"

She eyed him sternly. "The only reason you're here is because you had food. Enough for ALL of us, but now we have maybe a week's worth left. And I don't suppose you guys are carrying any groceries, are you?"

The boy who knocked me over looked down at his sneakers. "Um…no…"

Mark rolled his eyes. "Fine, you guys fight it out. Welcome to the family, kid." As he walked away, Clementine tugged on the boy's sleeve. "Come over here and see what I drew."

He frowned. "Uh, no, I—"

"Just come on, okay?"

I couldn't help but smile to myself and follow them over; I didn't want to stick around for yet another gripping argument. I plopped back down in the lawn chair and rubbed my eyes. "So…" I raised an eyebrow at the monogram on the boy's jacket. "Stone Mountain, huh? You're from Atlanta?"

"What? Oh, yeah. I mean, I was…" he nodded sheepishly. "I'm Ben, Ben Paul."

"I'm Iris. The adorable little girl sitting next to you is Clementine, and over there is Duck."

"Hiya!" Duck looked up from his drawing and waved at Ben, grinning widely. Ben lifted his hand to wave back, jolting slightly at the sound of Lilly raising her voice. Kenny came trudging over from behind the RV and sat down on the sofa Larry and Mark had pulled from one of the rooms.

"Don't worry about them. They argue all the time," I said with a shrug. After a minute, Lilly and Lee came out from behind the RV, Lilly shoving something into his hands.

"Here are today's food rations, but there's not enough for everyone."

I shifted in my seat. Lee looked forlornly at the snack foods until he saw me looking at him. I averted my gaze as he came this way, Clementine trotting up to meet him.

"Hey, Clementine." he gave a little smile.

"Hey, Lee."

"Where's your hat?"

"I don't know…will you help me find it?"

He nodded. "Sure, when did you lose it?"

"I had it a couple of days ago…"

"I promise, if I find it, I'll let you know."

"Thank you…" she went to go back to drawing when he tapped her shoulder.

"Here, Clem, you need something to eat." He picked half an apple out of the rations Lilly gave him and handed it to her. "I love apples!" her face lit up as she took it. "Are there anymore?"

Lee shook his head and patted her shoulder. "No, but enjoy it. You deserve it."

Looking up at him hesitantly, she walked away and sat back down between Duck and Ben. She brought the apple slowly up to her lips and bit into it, the noise making my stomach turn. Sometimes watching the others eat was unbearable. Some days I couldn't even stand up straight without getting dizzy. I almost didn't notice Lee shuffle past her and kneel in front of Duck, offering him a package of crackers and cheese.

"Yes! Oh man, I'm _so_hungry!"

Kenny looked up and smiled at them, nodding to Lee admiringly. He returned the gesture as he walked past, and disappeared again behind the RV. "So, how'd you end up here?" I asked Ben, trying to distract myself.

"My class came down from Stone Mountain for the playoffs," he drew his knees to his chest and rocked back and forth for a bit. "Me, my friend Travis, and our teacher Mr. Parker had a camp not too far from here, but we were attacked. Then Mr. Parker's leg got caught in a bear trap, and…"

"Hey, Iris," I looked up to see Lee standing over me, holding out another pack of crackers and cheese. "You need to eat something."

I was a little startled at the offer. I _wanted_to eat, but it didn't feel right, especially when we were almost out. "Um…thank you, Lee, but…I-I don't think I can take this…"

"Well, if _she_doesn't want it, then hand it this way," Larry declared as he marched up to us. Lee crossed his arms. "It doesn't work like that; I'm the one deciding who gets food today."

The old man's lip quivered and he clenched his fists, turning around and going back to the wall, grumbling under his breath again. Lee nudged me, still holding out the crackers. "Go on and take it. Doug told me you weren't looking too good; that you need it."

_Doug…!_I sighed and took the pack and peeled it open. I guess I should've been grateful to him for looking out for me, but he needed to eat, too! I looked down at the cracker I practically drowned in the cheese dip, then caught Ben looking at me. His pale eyes widened slightly. "I-I'm sorry…I haven't eaten in a while, so—"

"You want one?" I didn't even think twice when I held out the cracker.

He shook his head. "I don't want to cause any trouble…"

"You're not." _Yet._

He gaped at me, then hesitantly took the cracker. When he finished, I handed him another one. Katjaa called Kenny and Lee, and after a few minutes she screamed.


End file.
